


Where to Lay the Blame.

by theauthor2010



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Guilt, M/M, Near Death Experience
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-09
Updated: 2012-09-28
Packaged: 2017-11-11 19:13:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 11,498
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/481919
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theauthor2010/pseuds/theauthor2010
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the attempt to bring down the Argents and protect the pack, Stiles enlists Danny and is forced to make a life or death choice for his benefit. Can newly turned Danny and guilty Stiles save the pack?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [PilgrimKitty](https://archiveofourown.org/users/PilgrimKitty/gifts).



The wounded teenager lay underneath the rubble, blood pouring heavily from a gash in his head. It was obvious to Stiles that Danny had been seriously injured by the part of the building that had been blown up in the scuffle. It wasn't obvious to Stiles just how injured Danny was until Derek looked at him, jumping down from the stairwell to kneel by the teen. He lifted the fallen beam off of Danny like it meant nothing, revealing the bloodied mess of his abdomen. He was using his senses to assess Danny's situation and his expression was grim. 

"Stiles, he's not gonna make it…" Derek said, looking up at Stiles with sympathy in his eyes. Stiles felt his stomach twist and he had to inhale to keep himself from throwing up. No. Danny was going to die and it was his fault. He was the one who'd utilized the other boy's hacking skills to get into Gerard's files. Danny didn't even know anything about the supernatural garbage that had become Stiles' day to day life. Danny hadn't even known until Derek had changed in front of him and even then he fought to help Stiles take home what he needed, because "it's obvious who the bad guys here are, Stiles. I get it." 

"He can't die Derek," he whispered, watching as Danny opened his eyes and looked at them. His expression was vacant and confused. 

"What just happened?" Danny coughed out, before realizing he was unable to lift his head and falling back. 

Derek shook his head. He leaned against Stiles as he spoke softly. He was trying to prevent Danny from hearing. "It's hit some sort of internal organ. I can practically smell him dying. I just…don't know what to do…" 

In that moment, Stiles looked up at Derek. Derek looked back and Stiles saw that they did have one option. Stiles opened his mouth to say something and then Derek nodded. He knew that there was one thing that might save Danny's life. "Danny," Stiles said softly, gently reaching out and touching the boy's shoulder. Danny was still breathing, chest rising and falling with each puff of air, but he wasn't conscious.

"I'm not saying the bite would save him," Derek said, looking at the boy and then back to Stiles, "but it may give him a fighting chance." 

"You're not going to get consent from him when he's like this…" Stiles mumbled, realizing that Danny was not going to be in any state where he could give consent about what was going to happen. Even worse, Derek was looking to him for permission. He realized in that second that Derek wanted him to tell him what to do. Derek's eyes conveyed exactly the question he was laying on Stiles. 

Stiles nodded slowly. There was no other option. "Do it, Derek," he said, pained by the magnitude of the decision that he had to make by himself. He wasn't strong enough for this. He wasn't the person who was supposed to make life or death choices. Of course, he couldn't choose certain death. Danny had been an innocent that he pulled into this werewolf mess. Danny hadn't been at fault for this. 

After the bite had been given, it felt like Stiles and Derek watched Danny for hours. It was, in reality, probably only a matter of minutes but Stiles just felt the seconds as they were drawn out long. He looked to Derek, who was watching Danny with a scowl on his face. "This is my fault," he said and it wasn't his usual self-blaming going down. It was legitimately his fault that Danny was either going to die or become a hunted supernatural being. 

Derek, to his surprise, responded gently to that assertion. "It's not your fault Stiles," he said softly.

"It is," Stiles objected desperately. "I was the one who suggested to you and Scott that Danny could get into Argent's files. I was the one who asked him and physically broke him into the room. I was the one who ended up telling him about werewolves because he saw you. I was the one who inducted Danny into a world of hurt that wasn't his problem to deal with in the first place…" 

"You did what you had to do for the pack," Derek said firmly and in one of the most surprising gestures that he had ever made, he wrapped an arm around Stiles' shoulder, drawing him close as they waited to see if the bite would take. Finally, after a forever of waiting and painful contortions of Danny's body that made Stiles shut his eyes, Derek said the words he was desperate to hear: "It took Stiles. It took." 

The gaping wound was already beginning to heal. Danny's eyes opened soon after the flesh repaired itself. 

"Is he going to hate me for making this choice?" Stiles asked aloud as Danny started to come to. He blinked and turned and looked straight at them, not dead in the slightest. Stiles was still surrounded by the magnitude of his own guilt, but at least Danny was alive. 

"At least he's alive to hate you," Derek said sagely as Danny full came to and the questions began.

"What happened?" Danny asked groggily, sitting up and looking at them confused. 

Stiles decided to start with the easiest bit of information to process. "Well, we got the information from Argent and we sent it to Scott and Allison," he told Danny. "Hopefully we can use that to find out what he's planning on doing with Jackson and then…we'll get to the bottom of this…so that went very well." 

"Will they…I mean the werewolves…be okay?" Danny asked. Danny had been very skeptical of werewolves until he had seen one in action. He had also seen his best friend become the kanima, so skepticism was no longer an option for Danny Mahealani. Stiles took a deep breath and shared a look with Derek. They had to tell him immediately before he started to experience his body's changes. 

"Yes," Stiles said softly, looking at Danny. "How much do you remember?" 

Danny frowned and then rubbed a hand over the top of his head. "I remember that you and I were going to grab those files. I extracted them and then as we started to leave, something exploded. I really can't remember anything other than that. It's all a blur…" 

Stiles was thankful that Derek knelt close to Danny and spoke slowly. "You were badly hurt protecting Stiles and the rest of my pack," he said clearly.

"I don't feel hurt…" Danny mumbled.

Derek spoke slowly and solemnly. Stiles felt like he was holding his breath the entire time. "You're a werewolf now, Danny," he said softly. "That means that you're going to be a lot stronger and more capable, but will have a unique set of vulnerabilities. There is going to be a lot of training in your future. I wish that I could have asked your consent to be bitten, but you were going to die if I didn't intervene. The bite was your only hope, so Stiles and I made a split-second decision." 

Danny seemed to spend a long time processing that information. He nodded slowly, absorbing each thing being said. "Wow…" he whispered. "I feel different but I definitely don't feel like I've reached werewolf status." 

"I'm so sorry," Stiles whispered. "Dude, I didn't want to drag you into a war that wasn't yours and…" 

Danny held up his hand and shook his head. "Stiles, I mean, dude, the only other option was being dead. I didn't want that." He shook his head a few times, like he was trying to shake off his daze. "I'm confused, but I'm pretty thankful to be alive. It's all good…really…" 

Derek was trying to help Danny, but Stiles also got the feeling that the Alpha was trying to keep him sane. "I'm the Alpha of this pack," he said clearly. "I'm going to make sure this transition works for you. It'll be fine."

Would it?


	2. Chapter 2

Danny fell asleep that night, thankful to be alive. He knew when he looked at Derek and Stiles that it was true. The bite of the werewolf had saved his life. Despite the fact that Stiles looked guilty and mournful and the fact that things were about to become way more complicated than before, Danny was glad to be alive. When he woke up he felt physically and mentally different, but he wasn't exactly sure how. He opened his eyes slowly, the sunlight from his window burning them slightly. He was exhausted and confused. 

His hearing was the first real difference. He could hear his mother downstairs. He could sense her in the kitchen, making toast. He could smell the toast slowly being burnt inside of the toaster and could even hear the faint humming of his mother's voice. He wasn't quite sure but if he really focused, he swore that he could hear the woman's heartbeat. 

He got up and walked downstairs. "Hi Danny," his mother said cheerily, putting enough toast for the two of them on the plate. "Want oatmeal today?" 

"Yeah, that sounds great mom," he said sitting down at the table with her as she put two bowls of oatmeal out. It was rare that he and his mother were able to sit together and talk, but unfortunately his head was a little fuzzy at that moment. He kept up with his mother's small talk about lacrosse, school, regular things. He had to act as though nothing had changed even though absolutely everything had. 

He eventually got away by lying to his mother and telling her that he had to meet the lacrosse team. He wanted to find Derek, but since he had no idea how to do that, he went to Stiles. He knocked on the door, pacing a little bit as he tried to keep calm. 

Stiles answered the door with a funny expression on his face. His eyes were wide and looked way-too-sad to belong to Stiles. "What's wrong?" Danny asked.

At that, the other boy yanked him into a hug. "I'm just so glad you're alright Dannyboy," he said softly. 

"I feel different," Danny said softly, looking around to make sure that nobody was listening in on their conversation. "I need to see Derek. Can you get me to him?" 

Thankfully, Stiles knew what to do and took him to the abandoned train car that the werewolf pack considered home. Seconds after their arrival, Danny found himself face to face with a group of very concerned looking werewolves. Scott was even there. He awkwardly waved and leaned back against a seat. "Hey Danny," he said softly. 

"I want some answers," Danny said.

Derek stepped out of the back, looking very commanding among his wolf pack. "I assure you Danny," he said gently, "you'll get the answers that you're seeking. What do you want to know first? There's a lot that you need to understand." 

"I want to know what I'm capable of doing," Danny said, because that was the first thing that came to mind.

Derek nodded at those words. "Well you're going to find that you have super strength and ability. You can see further, hear further and you have a wolf inside of you. You'll sense things in a way that cannot be described. You simply have to experience." 

"I always knew something was wrong with Scott," Danny mumbled softly, looking to Scott. "No offense." 

"None taken," Scott said with a slight laugh. "Welcome to the group Danny." 

Erica took that moment to step over to him and look him over. Being uninterested in the female form, he hadn't jumped to fall at Erica's feet following her transformation, but he was definitely noticing her now. "Hi," she said softly. "Aside from the super strength and abilities, you should know your pack. Boyd, Isaac. Chances are that none of us were on your radar at school before." She made Danny flinch a little with that statement. He had been a little bit absorbed in his own crowd, he had to admit that. 

"Yeah," Boyd said. "Being a werewolf means that Erica is more PMS-y than your average girl. Welcome in, dude." 

Erica rolled her eyes and shoved Boyd and Danny could practically smell the sexual tension coming off of the two of them. He flinched a little bit. Wait, could he smell that too? 

"So what can kill us?" he asked. "Because I'm pretty sure that nothing is invincible." 

"That is true," Derek said from where he stood. "We're vulnerable to wolfsbane, fire…" He winced visibly at that. "Having our bodies severed, drowning… The list goes on, but you'll find yourself surprisingly less vulnerable to death now, Danny." 

Danny took a breath as he took that all in. He'd always wanted to be a little more invulnerable to death, but this was a trip. "Okay, so when and how do we turn…" 

"The change is triggered by heightened emotions, a rising heart rate," Derek explained. "I'll be training you to anchor yourself back down to humanity and prevent it. You should be able to change at will in a short amount of time. It only took awhile to train the rest in that…" 

"Well you know, except during the full moon when it's nearly impossible to control without reeling yourself in hard," Isaac quipped dryly.

Danny looked to him alarmed. Derek gave a slight look of annoyance to the younger werewolf. "Isaac is right," he said. "It's a challenge to survive a full moon, especially your first, but you have your pack looking after you and there is absolutely nothing for you to fear, Danny." 

"We have time," Scott said. 

"What do we have from Argent's file?" Erica asked, putting a hand on Danny's shoulder. She seemed to be a lot less cold towards him now that she'd gotten her initial irritation with him out of the way. "That is why Danny here almost died, correct? So we could get information off of that crazy bastard." 

"Stiles and I stole the information but we weren't able to learn much right away," Danny said, sitting down next to Stiles. He wasn't loving the way that the other teenager quieted up, going all silent in some kind of internal anguish. "I still have a lot to encode, but from what I can see he plans on turning the kanima on Derek." 

"That's nothing new…" Derek said.

"While eliminating the pack with the help of Allison," Danny said darkly. "I haven't decoded enough of the details, but…it looks like they want to get the wolves together and set them…us…on fire." Danny swallowed a little and watched as the pain crossed through Derek's eyes. 

"Sadistic but manageable," Derek said. "Can you decode the rest of whatever's on there? I know that there's more information on the kanima and its weaknesses. Gerard got smart and kept that information separate from the rest of the bestiary. We have to take him down." 

"Before we let him go all computer tech," Isaac suggested, "new werewolf needs some practical training." 

"I agree," Derek said.


	3. Chapter 3

While Derek worked at training Danny, Scott made an attempt to come over and talk to Stiles. As much as he wanted to be alone, Stiles was thankful for his best friend. "Danny's adjusting well," Scott said, sitting down at Stiles' side. He put a hand on Stiles' shoulder and offered him a small smile. 

Stiles was almost going to hide his feelings from Scott, but decided not to. He needed to vent to someone and Scott was his best friend. "Danny's being turned into a werewolf is all my fault, Scott," he said dryly. 

"He's really handling it well, Stiles," Scott pointed out again.

Stiles followed Scott's gaze across the area to where a wolfed out Danny was sparring with Derek as part of his training. He was very capable in his werewolfish-ness, Stiles supposed, but that didn't make him feel any less insecure about the whole thing. "It's still my fault," he said. "I was the one to come up with the idea to use Danny to get Argent's file, wasn't I? I was also the one who gave Derek the okay to bite him." 

"That was to save his life," Scott said softly. "I'm sure Danny prefers being a werewolf to being dead. Also, there was a reason that Derek made you choose." 

Stiles turned to Scott because that was a strange thing to say. "What do you mean, Scott?" he asked. 

"We all kind of look to you in life or death scenarios, Stiles," Scott said, before looking away from his best friend. "You've got this kind of wisdom to you. You keep your head together when none of us can." 

"I am so far from wise Scott," Stiles mumbled grimly. "I'm just a scared kid, trying to do the best that I can." 

"Well you're good at it, man," Scott said, giving Stiles a sideways hug. "I'm sorry that I haven't always been grateful for all you've done for me." He gave him a small smile. Stiles smiled back; even though he wasn't sure what Scott was smoking, calling him wise and stuff. 

They watched Danny train in almost complete silence. He hoped that Danny had what it took to survive as a werewolf. He needed to be able to make it in the most intense situations because they were headed to all out war. Stiles knew deep in his heart that Danny's bloody near-death was not going to be the end of it. 

After he was finished training, Danny was exhausted. A non-wolfed out and healing Danny quickly made his way to Stiles' side after he was done. He put his head on Stiles' shoulder, a lot more affectionate than Stiles ever remembered Danny being. "I have to say that beats the hell out of lacrosse practice," he said, a lame attempt at making a joke, but Stiles laughed nonetheless. 

"At least you're good at lacrosse," Stiles quipped back, trying to stay positive. 

Danny, of course, caught the fact that he was in less than a positive mental state at that moment. "Stiles, are you okay?" he asked, lifting his head and then scooting away when he realized he was being a little too cuddly for his own good. 

"Of course I am," Stiles lied. "Why?"

Danny shrugged a little bit at that. "I'm new to this whole werewolf thing, but I can hear your heartbeat and it's beating really, really fast." 

"I'm just scared Danny," Stiles said, because he was tired of being less than honest. "We're headed towards an all out war." 

"We'll take care of them before they get us," Danny said. He cut Stiles off before he could speak again. "I know that this wasn't initially my war to fight, but I'm on the right side and I'm totally okay with that. Now, do you mind resting with me while I heal up? Derek said that I'd be really tired after my first time but he never said anything about feeling so…clingy. I'd appreciate if you refrained from judging." He smirked.

Stiles shook his head and held up his hands. "No judgment," he said, as Danny looked relieved and snuggled back up to his side. In a few minutes the brand new werewolf was fast asleep with his head on Stiles' shoulder.

Derek walked in moments after that, stopped and smiled at the two. "Well isn't that cute," he said, in a tone that was pretty rare for him. "Don't worry too much about him Stiles. New wolves can get really exhausted by the healing process. It's going to take awhile to adjust." 

"Well alright then," Stiles said. He had to admit that he felt simultaneously weirded out and comforted by Danny's clingy behavior. He had a feeling that exhaustion wasn't the only reason Danny was clinging to him, but he didn't really have the energy to think deeper on it.   
It was what it was and maybe they would be okay.


	4. Chapter 4

Danny was working hard at decoding the data they'd retrieved from Gerard Argent, but he was having a hard time. Although Stiles and Scott had assured him that it would be no issue, as they stole the bestiary from Argent before, it was quite the problem. Apparently the old man had found an ally with technology skills or something like that. He was getting frustrated. 

The wolf that was now a part of him was not a fan of frustration. His heart rate rose and he changed, involuntarily. It took over him in a split second, the wolf letting out a low but loud growl. 

"Danny, are you alright?" his mother asked, immediately hearing the sound. Danny cursed inwardly and tried his best to recall what he'd been taught in training. He had to restrain the wolf or it would go out of control. He called it back, taking a deep breath as he thought about the things that anchored him back to humanity. His family, his friends, Stiles. He wasn't sure why Stiles was there but it worked. 

"I'm fine Mom," he said, finding his voice strangled and raw, but at least it was natural. "I just turned the speakers up too loud." 

"Alright!" she called back up. 

He kept on working as hard as he could, trying to get through all of the blockades that had been set up. It was really an impressive system but Danny had gone through worse things. He had managed to hack more sophisticated systems. He continued working until his mother yelled up to him yet again.

"Danny, your friend is here!" 

Danny wondered if it was Jackson, who in light of all the Kanima's actions had withdrawn himself. He headed downstairs as quickly as he could manage. He was absolutely shocked to find that it was not Jackson, but Stiles who was standing in front of him with a bag in hand. He waved at Danny. "Hey dude," he said sweetly. Danny wasn't exactly sure about it, but Stiles presence seemed to have a good effect on him ever since he'd turned into a werewolf. 

"How's it going Danny?" Stiles asked as they headed up to his room. 

"It's tough, but it's not too advanced. I'll be able to take care of it soon." Stiles smiled at Danny when he said that. 

"Well, do you want some company?" Stiles asked.

"Of course," Danny said. Stiles hung with him and they chatted idly while Danny worked on decoding. He couldn't help notice how attractive Stiles was. He thought back to their old conversations and wondered if Stiles was at all attracted to guys. He did constantly ask Danny if he found him attractive and had a ton of questions about the likes and wants of gay men. "Hey Stiles," he said, wondering if the question was too awkward. "Do you like guys at all?" 

Stiles responded to that one by falling off of his chair. "Uh yeah, sometimes," he said, trying to keep cool from the floor. 

Danny was about to respond to Stiles when he passed the barrier he was trying to work through. "I got in!" he yelled. Stiles immediately stopped being awkward and got down to business, getting up and leaning over Danny's shoulder. 

A few moments later, they found the information about the Kanima and its master that they were looking for. "The Kanima seeks a master, not a pack, so that makes sense," Stiles said, reading over Danny's shoulder, his eyes lighting up. 

Danny read out loud to process the information. "The Kanima's bond with its master can be broken by acceptance from the pack," he said with a grin. "It will also kill its former master in order to protect its Alpha." 

"This means that the pack will have to get Jackson in Kanima form," Stiles told Danny, putting a hand on his shoulder and furrowing his brow, confused. "It means that we'll have to have him there somehow, without things turning bloody and violent and full of death. How are we supposed to do that?" 

"Also, how does a pack of werewolves claim a…whatever he is?" Danny asked curiously. 

"We have to talk to Derek," Stiles said.

"First let me find out more," Danny said. 

Danny spent some more time at his computer, trying to find out what kind of data that Argent encoded inside of his files. Eventually he came up with some locations to the hunters, locations that were nowhere near Alison's family home. He also came up with some vague information on how the Kanima's master exerted his control over the creature. He took notes furiously, eyes wide. Stiles was at his side helping him organize them. They kind of made a fantastic crime fighting researching team. Danny was incredibly impressed with the other boy. 

By the time he'd decoded everything that he could, Stiles was passed out asleep on top of a bunch of notes. Danny smiled. They could go to Derek later.


	5. Chapter 5

Derek was alarmed by the news that Danny and Stiles delivered to him. "I have never heard of anything like that," he muttered under his breath, "I mean, I think that my family's pack accepted an omega when I was like five years old or something…" He trailed off and looked at the two boys with an unnerved expression. 

"How did they do that?" Stiles asked. 

Danny could practically hear Derek roll his eyes at Stiles. "I wasn't exactly old enough to be involved in pack politics at the time," he growled. "I can find out though. Just give me some time." 

"Do we have time?" Stiles asked. Derek didn't even dignify that with a reply. Danny, however, reached out and touched Stiles' shoulder to acknowledge that he was listening to that worry. It was definitely a difficult task that they had to accomplish somehow. They had to do it fast in order to defeat the hunters. 

The rest of the pack didn't seem any more receptive to the news. 

"So we somehow have to accept him into the pack?" Isaac asked. He stretched out and looked up from the floor. Boyd and Erica were on a couch that Erica had brought into the old Hale house and they were getting pretty cozy there. 

"That's what it looks like," Danny said. "Derek doesn't know how to do it though." 

"Well that makes things even more interesting," Erica said, nuzzling Boyd's shoulder. "Jackson shouldn't be too hard to lure in though, now that his best friend is part of the wolf pack." Danny hoped that she was right. He hoped that there was a chance that Danny being part of the wolf pack could help them, if they could get the human part of Jackson to come forth in any manner. 

After a few more awkward moments, Danny and Stiles took off by themselves. "Need a ride home?" he asked Danny. Danny nodded and then got into the jeep next to them. As Stiles started the car, Danny looked off out the window mournfully. He couldn't get Jackson out of his head."Are you okay dude?" Stiles asked softly, concerned about him. Stiles was such a good guy. Danny wondered why he'd never realized that before. 

"Yeah, I was just thinking about Jackson," he said softly. He looked back to Stiles and smiled. "I hate that he's going through all of this and doesn't even know…or at least sort of doesn't know…" 

"I think he's at least semi-aware of it now," Stiles said. Danny had to appreciate Stiles honesty. Most people would say that Jackson was completely unaware to comfort his worried best friend, but even though Stiles cared about Danny, he was honest. "I know how bad you must want to save him dude. You two have been inseparable as long as I've known you." 

"We have…" 

"How did that even happen?" Stiles asked curiously. 

Danny smiled at the question. "I know sometimes we seem like an unlikely friendship," he said, "but Jackson has always been there for me. We met in elementary school and I was … the first person he told that he was adopted." He shook his head at the sad memory. He felt bad for laying this down on Stiles, but few people knew how close he and Jackson were. "We always took care of each other, you know? When I came out in eighth grade, Jackson was the one who nodded and promised to kick the crap out of anyone who thought badly of me." 

"So, Jackson's always has been a good friend to you?" 

"Yeah," Danny said honestly. "He's a jackass at times and we both acknowledge that, but we just work, you know. I really miss him and I want to help him get through this one." 

"I know what you mean about unlikely friendships just working," Stiles said with a slight grin. "Scott and I weren't always two of a kind. I saved his life when he was having an asthma attack at like, seven or eight years old and he said that he owed me. We just kinda hit it off from there and grew together. He was really shy and quiet and I … wasn't." 

"You'll never be shy and quiet," Danny commented. 

Both boys smiled at that and were quiet. They didn't speak again until they were almost to Danny's house. Danny turned to Stiles and spoke softly. "Thank you for saving my life," he said. He knew that Stiles felt some guilt over making the decision that would turn Danny into a wolf. He knew that Stiles probably really needed to hear that he was thankful. "I appreciate it, a lot." They then pulled up by Danny's and he got out of the car. "I'll see you soon." 

Danny found out a few days later that the pack was discussing the idea of baiting Jackson to them with Lydia. "She doesn't have to know she's being used as bait," Isaac said in a way that Danny thought was a little callous. "If he comes for her and then we nab him with whatever method Derek's working on then…well, she'll be fine." 

"No way," Danny said, entering the room. Stiles wasn't there at the moment, so every pair of eyes in the room belonged to a werewolf. "If you're gonna use anyone to bait Jackson then it has to be me. We're best friends and have been for years. I can get through to him just as well as Lydia can and she…she doesn't have to be in this mess." 

"Stiles was under the impression that you didn't have to be either, Danny," Derek said softly, but Danny could see the admiration in his eyes. "If we can figure out how to get Jackson into the pack, then worrying over who's going to be used to bait him is very much secondary. I need to find out about old rituals and lore, but I have no idea where to start as far as family records go." 

Stiles and Scott entered the room at that very moment. "Maybe Peter is the key," Scott said thoughtfully.

The tension was almost painful. Danny turned and looked to Stiles, just as Derek flipped out. "Yeah, I'll track down the murderous, deranged former alpha who killed my sister and then got into Lydia's head to get her to bring him back." He glared Scott down. "Genius idea." 

"Hey, at least he may have some information about what's going on." 

"I'll explain later," Stiles said, putting an arm around Danny and tugging him closer and away from the pending Scott and Derek fight.


	6. Chapter 6

Danny began to feel the pressure of being a werewolf before long. It was hard, trying to keep his strong emotions in check so he didn't turn. It was even harder lying to his mother. Danny had always been very close to his mother. Even after his father left, she remained strong and Danny did everything he could to help and support her. Pack time was definitely drilling into his relationship with her and he didn't want her to hate him, or suspect him of any wrongdoing. She was also beginning to question where her son went all the time and, of course, Danny was forced to lie about it. 

He just didn't like it. The guilt threw him off of his game completely. After a long day of school that culminated in being blasted by Coach Finstock at lacrosse, he was ready to throw in the towel and hide in his bed. 

Stiles, of course, noticed that Danny was in a messed up place. "Hey Danny," he said, coming up from behind him in the locker room as Danny put his clothes back on. Danny looked up at him and gave a sheepish smile. He didn't want Stiles to know how shaken up and upset he was by his newfound lycanthropy, but he had a feeling he was going to spill. Stiles was that hard to resist. "What happened today? You seemed…really upset and at first I thought you were faking screwing up at practice, because hello werewolf, but you…weren't…" 

"I can't focus," Danny said softly, looking at Stiles and putting the rest of his clothes back on. 

"Why not?" Stiles asked. 

Danny sighed and let out a shaky breath. "I'm tired of this," he said, not wanting to make Stiles feel guilty about what he was, but finding himself unable to lie. "I'm tired of lying to the people I love already. My mom…" He sighed and shook his head a little bit. "It's no big deal, really, Stiles. It's not like I'm hiding drugs from her or something. It's not even like I'm lying…well, exactly…"

Stiles stopped and then looked at Danny with a sympathetic look that was full of understanding. "It hurts, doesn't it?" he asked. "It hurts to know that she's not a part of every part of your life like she used to be. Every small lie's not so small anymore because it's your whole entire life." 

Danny nodded, because Stiles knew exactly what he was feeling. Then he realized that Stiles had endured the same feelings with his father. "Oh…" he said. 

"Our relationship has been screwed up since the moment Scott got bitten," Stiles said softly, knowing what Danny knew. "There is hope though, Danny boy." 

"And what's that?" he said softly.

"After we take care of this mess with Jackson then the lies can stop," Stiles said in a way that made Danny wonder if it was all wishful thinking. "The pain can stop. I mean, the Hale family lived as werewolves for decades…regular old peaceful lives. Well, until they were massacred by a crazy hunter…but you know what I mean…" 

"True," Danny said. It all just came down to killing Gerard Argent and rescuing Jackson from his grip.

They decided to wait to bait Jackson until after the full moon. It was Danny's first and Boyd and Erica still did not know how to control themselves. "You have to find what anchors you to the human world," Derek said softly, seriously. "We're going to restrain you and make sure you don't hurt anyone, but finding that thing that keeps you human is going to be key." 

"What do you mean?" Danny asked.

"There has to be something in your head that pulls you away from the wolf's animal instinct and makes you human," Derek explained. "It can be a feeling, a person, a memory…something that separates you from the wolf that is now a part of you." 

Danny wasn't sure that he quite understood that but he was definitely trying his hardest. "An anchor, gotcha," he mumbled awkwardly. The human side of him was already very tired of his wolf side butting in and getting in the way. 

Stiles really was his only comfort and connection to the human world. Danny started spending a lot of time with Stiles in the time leading up to the full moon. He couldn't exactly stay close to Jackson, who he knew subconsciously sensed what he was. Stiles was nice to be around too. He was sweet, sensitive and he understood the fear that Danny was going through.

"I definitely don't blame you for being afraid," he said while the two sat in the cafeteria, even though Danny hadn't said a thing about his fear. "I mean, I handcuffed Scott to a radiator at one point." 

"Derek's been lecturing me about finding an anchor," Danny said, pushing his lunch away because he really wasn't hungry at that moment. He took a sip from his water bottle and flinched a little bit because of the constant stream of nerves going through him. "He says that I need to find something that connects me to the human part of myself. I think that if I think about my mom and my family…that has to work, doesn't it?" 

"Of course it does," Stiles said with his eternally optimistic attitude. He patted Danny on the back and shook his head. "I know that it's terrifying man, but Derek knows what he's talking about. He was…y'know, born into the werewolf thing. If you trust him everything will be fine." 

"I talked to Isaac," Danny said shrugging a little. "He says that his anchor during the full moon is memories of his father, before things started becoming bad. If he can rely on his memories then so can I…" He took a deep breath and tried to relax. He was scared. 

That was when Stiles chose to hug him. It just wasn't something that teenage boys did to one another, but Stiles leaned over and hugged him. "It's gonna be okay Danny," he assured. "Trust me." 

"I do."


	7. Chapter 7

The full moon was hell for Danny. Try as he might he could not control the beast from immerging from within him. The werewolf took over and raged at its predicament. It raged at its chains and it wanted to be set free. It needed to be set free. It needed to kill. It wanted to kill all the other werewolves that were so close, but he was prevented from touching. 

The human in him, however, was alive and fighting for control. The wolf had taken control and Danny was trying to come back to the surface. Amidst all of the animalistic screaming and the urges to hunt and kill lay a teenage boy who wanted to rise up to the forefront and beat the animal back down into submission.

Danny tried his best to burst forth in the middle of all of the animal urges. He pushed his memories through. He pushed through memories of his mom, holidays, nights crawling into her bed with nightmares as a child. He thought of family, friends and even his first boyfriend.

He thought of Stiles as the beast inside of him raged. Stiles, the boy who had awkwardly asked Danny if he found him attractive and the boy who had made a painful choice just to keep him alive. As he thought of Stiles he burst through, just as the beast was clawing at Derek. He transformed back into the boy and let out a deep, desperate breath. Derek met his eyes and it was the first time that he'd ever seen the Alpha smile. "Can you help me grab Boyd?" he asked softly, and he and Derek went quickly to get the other beta who had not yet learned how to control himself during the full moon. 

After the hell of the full moon was over, he ended up spending some time with Isaac. Danny was very observant and he knew what happened to Isaac. He hated himself for not being closer at the time that Isaac was being abused by his father. He would have noticed if he'd been there, because he was more aware, but when he and Jackson spent time together it was usually as far from the Whittemore house as possible. Isaac was a good guy. "You look like you need about a year's sleep," Isaac told Danny with a shy but charming smile. 

"Yeah," Danny agreed. "I think that I do." 

"You found it at the end though, right? The thing that anchors you…" 

"I think so," Danny said. He didn't want to think about that. Of all of the things in his head it was his developing feelings for Stiles that brought him back. He really needed to get his priorities straightened out. 

"That's good," Isaac said. To Danny's surprise he didn't ask him what it was that had done the trick. "Derek says that we'll be able to control ourselves eventually. It takes time." 

"Being a werewolf is tough," Danny commented, even though that fact was obvious. 

"It is," Isaac agreed, giving Danny a comforting smile. "I'm thankful for it, though. It gave me a chance to really live my life. I'm stronger than I've ever been and I'm…well, I'm not anyone's victim." The lanky teen gave a slight shrug and smiled at Danny. That smile was good enough to diffuse the awkwardness that was budding between them. "I'm glad that people like Scott came around and reigned me back in, though, or else I would have had way too much bitterness to deal with this life…" 

"What do you mean?"

"I was pretty out for revenge when Derek first turned me," Isaac said honestly. "I wanted to have the power back from those who had always taken power away from me. Luckily, I calmed myself down a little bit. There's too much rage in the wolf side for the human side to have rage too." 

Danny had to smile that. "Well that's for sure," he said. 

"Anyway," Isaac said, shaking his head. "You know you're pack now, right? We're all gonna keep after you too." 

"Thanks," Danny mumbled. "I just want to save Jackson. That's what we need to do now that the moon is behind us." 

"You and Stiles are pretty close, huh?" Isaac asked with a slight grin. His words caught Danny off guard and he chuckled as he realized what he'd done. "Sorry, I couldn't help ask. I know that you and Jackson used to be really close. I was just wondering if Stiles was starting to take his place as best friend. You two spend an awful lot of time together." Isaac's eyes lit up a little. "Or is it something else?" 

"Shut up," Danny said, as he realized that Isaac was teasing him in a friendly manner about his crush.

Wait, he had a crush on Stiles? Was that what it was? He frowned and then decided that yeah, that was sort of a word for the feeling. "It's okay," Isaac said. "There's something incredibly impressive about Stiles. He's a human but he deals with all of this stuff in a way that, well, you'd never expect any ordinary human guy to do. He's put himself between Erica and I and the Kanima before and well, we stand a lot better of a chance there than he does." 

Danny felt his heart beat a little faster at the thought of Stiles doing something so brave and admirable. "Really?" he asked softly, shaking his head a little.

"You're a little bit sunk, aren't you?" Isaac asked. 

Danny nodded, smiling to himself. "Yeah I am," he said honestly.

The night after the full moon, Danny was able to make his way home and talk to his mom. It felt good because he and his mom had been completely unable to talk lately. "I think that I may like this guy," Danny told her. He wasn't able to tell his mother absolutely everything, but he could at least tell her about his little crush, right? That was the kind of thing he always used to be able to tell her. 

Danny blushed a little as she sat at the kitchen counter. He joined her. "He's really cute and the sweetest guy," he said honestly. "He's brave...I mean, that's a dumb description but he's just loyal and strong minded, you know? He stands up for the things that are important." 

"Sounds like a catch," his mother teased. "He does like boys, right?" 

Danny's red face became even redder at that. In the beggining, he had many crushes on boys who identified as completely and utterly straight. "Yes, he does," Danny said and he was thankful for that. "I'm a little bit nervous about this, because I really like him and he has a lot going on. I think that we could maybe make a good match though." 

"You know what I've always said," his mother said wisely. "Follow your heart and the rest will come to be." 

Danny smiled at that. "I know mom, I know."


	8. Chapter 8

Danny would honestly do anything for Jackson. The guy was his best friend and had always been on his side. His best friend was one of the main reasons he helped Stiles and the wolves in the first place. He knew that he would die for Jackson. 

Derek had gone to his uncle and they had a vague idea on how to bring Jackson into the pack, at least. It was still scary. Danny dialed his best friend's phone number waiting with Isaac and Stiles. Stiles had insisted on coming, despite the werewolves' worries about the human being there.

The phone rang over and over again and honestly, Danny started to believe that Jackson wasn't going to pick it up; then, all of a sudden, he did. "Hello?" Jackson asked in a groggy, detached voice. 

"Hey man," Danny said, trying to keep his voice from shaking. 

"What's up Danny?"

"You haven't answered any of my texts lately," Danny said, because it was true. "I…I'm in a bit of a bind. I need you." He hated lying, of course, but it was a lie that was for his own good. 

"What do you mean?" 

Danny steadied himself. "I got into a little bit of a bind and I need you to come help me out. I'm in the woods." 

"Bind? What are you talking about dude?" 

"Just come," Danny said, hating to play the best friend card to lure Jackson in, but he had to. "You promised you'd come if I ever got in trouble. Well, I'm in trouble…" He took a deep breath in and out and sighed with relief when Jackson agreed. He hung up the phone and then looked to the pack. It was time for them to get into position and hopefully once they had Jackson, Derek could get away from them and kill Argent. 

"This better be good, Danny." 

Danny hung up the phone, swallowing and trying to calm himself down. He was going to be able to save Jackson and everything was going to be okay. When Argent was dead then they would be at peace. He would stop feeling so desperate and nervous. He turned and then looked at Stiles. "We have a few minutes but we need to head out to meet him." 

"I'll get Derek," Isaac said, leaving. 

Stiles looked to Danny. "Dude, I'm nervous," he said softly.

"I am too," Danny said honestly. "I'm more nervous for you though, Stiles. I mean the rest of us are werewolves. That means that we can bounce back from a lot more. I don't want you to get hurt." 

"I know that I'm the lone human in this equation but I can take care of myself," Stiles promised Danny, even though Danny could tell a lot of his bravado was fake and laced with guilt and embarrassment. Stiles was frustrated at being the only human in a pack of wolves, but at the same time Danny got the distinct impression that he'd never choose to become a wolf.

"I know very well that you can take care of yourself," Danny said. "It's just easy to worry, knowing how easily you could get hurt." 

"I'm gonna take your concern as very flattering," Stiles said and for that long moment they were looking into each other's eyes. There was a lot that Danny wanted to say to Stiles, but he wasn't exactly sure how to say it. He had never been that great with words, even though he was admittedly an intelligent guy. It was hard to talk, especially when talking was about things like feelings. 

"Stiles, I like you a lot," Danny said quickly, because it was the easiest way to say it. 

Stiles looked up, furrowed his eyebrows and took a step forward. "Like…"

"I really like you," Danny said, with a reddening face. "You're the bravest, most genuine guy that I've met in a long time. You made a life or death choice that saved my life. I…I just want to be close to you all the time and I'm so sorry if you don't feel the same way because I value our friendship a lot." 

Stiles, who was usually the blubbering mess in the pair, laughed and leaned over and pecked his lips. "When we survive this you're taking me on a date," he told Danny. 

Jackson arrived soon after that. Danny approached him alone, first, with the pack of wolves concealed. Jackson didn't seem to sense them yet. "Danny, what the hell are you doing out here all by yourself and where's your car?" Jackson looked exhausted but he was simply taking care of business the way that any concerned friend would. 

Danny looked at Jackson. He was jumpy and nervous. "I'm worried about you Jackson," Danny said, reaching out and grabbing his best friend by the wrist. When he did, Jackson jerked away and Danny dug werewolf claws into the skin there. That was when all hell broke loose. The moment that he did this, Jackson turned into the Kanima. It wasn't the systematic change of a werewolf. It was violent and painful. The creature, instead of going for Danny, went for the concealed wolves. Then it saw Stiles and went for him. The wolves came out of hiding.

Danny dove after the Kanima, wolfing out before Stiles' eyes. He growled, grabbing it by the neck and staring it in the eyes. He was trying his best to urge Jackson to come to, remember who was in front of him, but he could not. Jackson was in the hold of the man controlling his monster. 

Isaac yanked its head back hard from behind, pinning it for only a split second. "Danny!" Stiles yelled, rushing to his side and pulling him back. 

"Jackson!" Danny yelled at the creature, eyes wide. "Jackson, come back."

Jackson's eyes flashed beneath the Kanima's. Stiles saw it from where he gripped Danny. The creatures hold, however, remained. Danny reached forward and grabbed both of the clawed hands. The creature jerked back and someone else spoke through Jackson. "It's very ironic that my pet monster had his best friend turned into a monster as well," he snarled, taken over by the menacing voice of Gerard Argent. 

"I'm no monster," Danny said clearly. He had never felt so capable. Isaac and Erica helped him fight the creature back. After Erica clawed it in the back of the shoulder, Danny started to feel the venom creep into his system. 

"Scott and Derek have Argent!" Isaac yelled from far away. 

Danny stumbled and fell. The Kanima immediately went after him. He hit the ground and used all of his strength to scramble but it didn'he creature pounced on top of him and threw him over onto his back. He looked up into his eyes when he heard Stiles scream out for him. 

"Danny! Jackson!"

There was a moment where Jackson's eyes flashed and Danny saw him, not the Kanima. Erica, being the amazing girl that she was, jammed her claws in its back and pulled it back. Boyd grabbed Danny and pulled him back, mumbling "sorry bro" before clawing him in the side. "It'll get that shit out of you faster." 

Danny watched as Erica and Jackson fought, feeling returning into his body. "We gotta get him, all at once.


	9. Chapter 9

Isaac and Erica got to Jackson first. They both dug their claws into the creature's shoulders. That held him there long enough, thrashing and panting, for Boyd and Danny to get to him. They both did the same thing. Danny's eyes fixated on the blood that dripped down the Kanima's shoulders and chest. The blood was a deep color of red that almost looked violet. The Kanima stilled. It then dropped to the floor. That was when a man that Danny knew was Peter Hale approached, walking through the woods nonchalantly, as though a battle had not just occurred. 

"Your master is dead," Peter told the creature, before digging his own claws right into Jackson's stomach. The Kanima let out a howl of pain and positively crumbled into itself. It was only then that Danny realized that the creature's thick skin was reverting, turning back into soft pale flesh. Jackson was left in the end, lying on the ground and bleeding. When Peter retracted his claws and pulled them out, the rest of the pack followed suit. Danny transformed back into a human, immediately pulling Jackson into his arms and locking eyes with Stiles, who had naturally stayed back during the battle. 

Jackson came to a few minutes later. Danny felt the eyes of every person on him and his best friend. Pretty soon they were joined by Derek and Scott, who stared at Jackson as well. He opened his eyes and looked around at them. "What happened?" he asked in a gruff, confused voice. 

"It's all over, Jackson," Danny said in a soft voice. "It's all over." 

"You're one of us now," Peter said in an amused voice. 

Jackson panicked. Danny could hear his heart rate increase and had to hold tight to keep Jackson from jerking out of his grip. That was when it happened. He transformed then and there. The wolf took over him, a wolf with shocking blue eyes. He came into the wolf with a soft growl and nearly lashed at Danny when Derek turned himself and let out a soft roar that brought Jackson back to human form. 

Jackson was theirs. 

Danny found himself taking charge after that, even though it was hardly his place. His alpha didn't seem to mind at all, smiling with a slightly amused expression on his face. They took Jackson back to the Hale house and laid him down on one of the beds that Erica had forced Derek to buy. Jackson was completely out of sorts and passed out about twenty minutes after they arrived at the house. 

That was when Danny and Stiles had a moment alone to talk. Stiles wrapped his arms around Danny and hugged him. Danny chuckled at that. "We did it," he told Stiles, hugging back as hard as he possibly could without unleashing the crazy werewolf. "I'm so glad that Jackson has a chance at being normal now." 

"Well as normal as a werewolf can be," Stiles quipped, smiling.

"Yeah," Danny admitted sheepishly.  
Pretty soon after Jackson passed out, Danny fell asleep too. "He's kind of like a puppy," Erica pointed out to Stiles with a wicked grin. "You nailed us a cute one Stiles." He rolled his eyes at her, laughing slightly. He couldn't believe that the threat was suddenly gone. The Kanima was not going to be killing people and Jackson was going to live a normal, furry life. Gerard Argent was dead and according to Derek, Allison's dad had fled, but the guy was definitely a much saner version of the werewolf hunter threat. 

Derek grabbed his attention shortly after Danny fell asleep. He looked very serious with the scars still lingering from the battle with Argent. "What is it?" Stiles asked. What was really creepy was that despite the scars and the growliness that was Derek Hale, the alpha werewolf looked content. He supposed that there was at least peace for awhile. 

"Can I talk to you about Danny?" Derek asked. 

"What about him?" Stiles asked, feeling a little defensive. 

"I think you may be Danny's mate," Derek told Stiles with what almost looked like a smile. It was as close to a smile as he'd really seen Derek get. "I smelled something different on you two but I wasn't sure. It made me feel safe and reminded me of my parents." 

Stiles swallowed. He wasn't sure what to take in first - the fact that Danny was evidently his mate or the sad, wistful expression on Derek's eyes as he reminisced about his dead parents. "Is this mating thing all biological and wolfy or..."

"No, no," he said firmly. "I mean it is, but there's a human side there. A strong human side to it..."

"Well I am human," Stiles mumbled under his breath. "Just good old human Stiles. So, what does this mean, being mates with Danny or whatever?" 

"It doesn't really mean anything, yet," Derek said with a grin. "My parents were mates but were a lot older than sixteen when they started going with each other." 

"Did you really just say 'going with'?" Stiles asked, trying to combat his nerves. "What are you, seventy?" He rolled his eyes and shook his head. It was pretty scary for him to find himself mated to someone else. He was sixteen. Still, Danny had promised him a date and that was a pretty good start to a mated relationship, whatever that was. 

"Shut up." 

"Shutting up only if you tell me what to do now?" 

"Do what feels right," Derek said, and with that the mysterious werewolf started to walk off.. Stiles groaned because c'mon, werewolves, but at the same time he felt a strange peacefulness mingle in with the uneasiness he'd felt ever since they'd 'won' the battle. 

"It's far from over, isn't it?" he asked Derek. He had a feeling that the war would never truly end with werewolves being what they were.

"It's never over," Derek said, "but at times it can be good." Then he left for good, leaving Stiles with a lot to think about.


	10. Chapter 10

Shortly after Jackson was brought into the pack and temporary peace was restored into the world, Danny and Stiles decided to go on their first date. Danny had chosen a restaurant that was way too close to Beacon Hills regular make out spot for Stiles to be comfortable. Scott, the bastard that he was, found Stiles' discomfort amusing. "It's just Danny," Scott said in a huff. "All we've been through and I can't believe that a date with Danny is tripping you up." 

"I know; I'm pathetic." 

Scott clasped a hand on Stiles' shoulder. "Dude, just relax," he said softly. "I'm sure Danny's eager to see you. Just pretend that none of this dating stuff happened." 

"Oh good plan," he huffed irritably. "I'll forget that the guy I like asked me out on a date and that we're going on a date." 

"Once again, Stiles, you've faced werewolves," Scott said, "I think that you can handle a date with one." He looked definitely amused by Stiles predicament, but thankfully his expression softened the tiniest bit at how terrified Stiles appeared to be. He rubbed his shoulder before backing off. 

"Do I look okay?" Stiles asked in a huff. 

"You look fine," Scott assured. "Now go downstairs because I'm sure that Danny's probably already here." 

"You can hear him can't you?"

"I can," Scott said. 

"I hate you werewolves." Stiles figured that he would probably never get used to the super senses that the majority of his friends possessed. He walked downstairs and found his father in conversation with Danny. Stiles loved his dad. The man totally didn't care if he was dating a boy or a girl, as long as it was someone that he really liked and would "treat him right." He wasn't so sure how his father would react to finding out that Danny was a werewolf, but that was a dilemma for another day. 

"Hi Stiles," Danny said, looking up and breaking the flow of conversation with Sheriff Stilinski. "Your dad and I were just talking about the lacrosse game a couple of weeks back."

"I'm sure he was asking you to give me some pointers, so Finstock stops using me as a bench warmer," Stiles said with a playful smirk. He looked at his father and smiled at the man. 

"I was also telling Danny that you both need to be home by midnight," the man said. "I know that things have evidently calmed down, now that the local crimes have been solved, but I'm still worried." 

"Don't worry, Sheriff," Danny said. "I'm very skilled in self-defense and believe me, your son is more capable than he lets on." 

"Too much like your mom in that aspect," the man said, clasping his hand on both boy's shoulders. "Have fun, be good." He waved them off and then went to the kitchen. That left the two of them alone. 

"Was Scott up there with you?" Danny asked with a good-natured smile. 

"Yep," Stiles said with a playful sigh. 

"I knew I sensed him." 

Stiles groaned at that statement. "Seriously dude, I need some non-supernatural friendships," he said. "You're all hearing things and sensing things and generally making your non wolf-like friend crazy." 

Danny leaned over and gave Stiles a quick hug. "Dude," he said. "Your uniqueness is what makes you special, so don't worry about it." 

Stiles rolled his eyes. "Let's go." 

They headed out and walked to Danny's car. It was a short drive to the restaurant and when they arrived Danny opened Stiles' door for him. He was even a perfect gentleman. That was a little crazy. "Thanks," he said as they got out and walked inside. They got a table near the back of the restaurant.

"I'm nervous," Danny admitted after the waitress left them. It kind of surprised Stiles. Danny was not only a new werewolf, but he had always been relatively popular and known for being likable and charismatic. 

"You are?" he asked. 

"Yeah," Danny murmured. "I mean, I really like you dude, and we're good friends, so it's scary." 

"Well if you say it that way..." he murmured. Nerves bubbled up inside of his chest. "It's okay though. I mean, look at all we survived in the last month, Danny boy. A littl date should be nothing in comparison."

Danny looked at him, his gaze long and lingering. "That's true. It makes me think. I would be dead if not for you."

Danny watched as Stiles' face changed at his words. "I hated having to be the one to make that choice," he said. Danny wondered if the other boy realized how much Danny wanted to live and how much he had to live for. Yes, being a werewolf was really doing a number on him, but at the same time it was a good life and a life that he was prepared to lead. 

"Nobody wants to make life or death choices," he said, realizing that even if it was the right choice for Danny, it was still hard. If Danny had grown to resent Stiles or something, then Stiles would blame himself forever. Danny had not, however, regretted becoming a werewolf and he wouldn't, so Danny wanted to ease Stiles' mind. "I am glad, however, that you made the right choice for me and that I'm alive to be here on this date. I am thankful to you, Stiles." 

Stiles smiled at that. Danny felt like his mission had been accomplished. "That means a lot," he said. "Scott told me that I'm a good person to trust with the big choices, but I feel like that's so far from true…" 

"Nah, it's not," Danny said. He could see why Scott believed that, because to him it was true. Stiles was, without a doubt, the guy that you trusted when you had a big choice to make. Stiles was strong, loyal and trustworthy. "I can see that. You're strong, capable and trustworthy. You want what's best for all of us." 

The waitress took their orders quickly. As soon as she left, Stiles looked up at Danny and shrugged. "I don't know Danny," he said softly. "Sometimes I feel really inadequate considering that everyone I know is a werewolf." He chuckled at that statement, leaning back and looking into Danny's eyes. "I'm pretty much the sole normal in our group, even though I'm getting further and further from a real normal guy every day." 

"You are so important Stiles," Danny said, shaking his head. "I don't care if you're human, you're far from normal because you're brilliant." 

Stiles looked at him with a big smile. He leaned over and kissed him. Danny was surprised that Stiles made the first move but leaned up slightly so that he could kiss the other boy over the table between them. 

Pretty soon the food came and they ate eagerly, talking about mundane things that had nothing to do with the new weird werewolf world that they both lived in. It was a fantastic date and they honestly hit it off without any mention of the weirdness that had inexplicably drawn the two of them together. 

After dinner, the pair took a walk outside. Danny initiated the next kiss. Stiles' lips were soft and while he acted like he was inexperienced, it was so pleasing to both of them. "It's so funny," he said. "All these years I had a less than stellar opinion of you and now I'm…sort of crazy for you." 

"We can blame Jackson for that less than stellar opinion, can't we?" Stiles asked and Danny nodded. They both laughed. It was so funny how quickly and easily they'd come together. It was a cheesy bit of romance but Danny could always deal with a little bit of cheesy in the crazy world he lived in. 

He stopped and grabbed both of Stiles' hands. "I was pretty wrong," he said. 

They looked into each other's eyes for a long moment. Stiles leaned forward and then they kissed again. Danny knew the statement was cliche when he thought it, but he honestly saw stars, tilting his head and letting out a gasp. 

"This date was amazing," Stiles said honestly. "Danny, can we, um do this again?" He smiled at the other boy. 

"Of course," Danny said sweetly. 

"Awesome."

After the date was finished, they returned to the Hale house together. It was Stiles' idea. "Those nosey werewolfs are going to climb my window for information if we don't show up tonight," Stiles said. "I don't know about you, but to me that's a bad thing." 

The house was quiet but Danny could sense that the whole pack was there. He could also sense a lot of anxiety, rapidly beating hearts. He reached for Stiles' hand and when Stiles took his he held it tightly, walking up to the door and entering. He didn't know what was going on.

"What's going on?" Danny asked, sensing the panic in the room even more as soon as he was inside. The pack was all gathered around a table. 

"It seems that we have attracted the attention of an alpha pack," Derek said darkly.

Derek's uncle Peter, who was more or less now a fixture of the pack, was lingering far from the crowd of werewolves. "You know that they have no idea what that means, right?" he asked, putting a hand on his hip and gesturing with his head to Danny and Stiles. 

Derek then gave them an explanation of what being targeted by an alpha pack meant. It wasn't a good thing that was for sure. Alpha packs were deadly packs, usually comprised of betas who killed their own alpha for the alpha status. They were brutal killers who were usually very far attached from their humanity. They were also always out for the territory of young, inexperienced packs. 

"We're the perfect target, aren't we?" Danny asked. 

Peter gave a sharp nod. 

"What are we going to do?" 

"We're working on that," Derek said darkly, looking up. "It's not going to be easy." 

"We're going to be okay," Danny said. He said this firmly, firmly enough that Derek looked up and Isaac, who was standing behind Derek gave a small smile. He looked to Stiles and nodded. Things just weren't easy now that he was a werewolf and he was pretty sure they wouldn't ever be exactly easy again, but he was thankful for the life that Stiles gave him and his hope for the future. It was worth it, definitely.


End file.
